August 2003
Poll shows big gap between farmer optimism and their leaders' gloom
Despite mad cow disease and falling summer prices, farmers are showing plenty of resilience at a time when farm groups are predicting disasterby BARRY WILSON
To say the least, the timing was bad.Here was the public opinion polling firm Ipsos-Reid trotting around a new poll that showed overwhelming farmer optimism in the country at the same time that mad cow disease had brought the cattle industry to its knees and grain farmers were watching summer prices fall.
Here was Roger Pelissero, a chicken and hog farmer from St. Ann's, Ont., promoting the poll, done on behalf of the Canadian Egg Marketing Agency (CEMA), and insisting that farmers are far more optimistic than media reporting would suggest. "If it bleeds, it leads," he said, suggesting that reporters like to play up the bad news and the bloodier the better.
Ipsos-Reid summed it up nicely, after interviewing 935 farmers across the country about the future of their business. "Despite news about droughts, floods, changing legislation and uncompetitive markets for agricultural products, Canadian farmers are optimistic."
While farmers operating within protected supply-managed industries were most optimistic, in all sectors a majority of farmers surveyed said they are optimistic about economic prospects, expect to make a living off the farm and would encourage young people to get into the business.
What is remarkable about the results is that they are so at odds with what farm leaders were saying at exactly the same time the farmers were being questioned. Canadian farm groups have been locked in a bitter battle with the federal government over proposed new safety net programs and they have been more than willing to predict disaster without changes from Ottawa.
This is just a sampling of farmer opinion on prospects:
All in all, these are not reflections of an optimistic farm sector. Perhaps it is, as Ipsos-Reid vice-president Susan Jones said, that the negative political messages do not reflect the level of farmer optimism.
- On April 28, Manitoba's Keystone Agricultural Producers warned: "Caution! Rough road ahead for farmers."
- Two days later, Quebec's Union des Producteurs Agricoles noted that Ottawa was refusing to change the program design for farmers but was trying to sell it to bankers. "Far from producers, close to the banks. Can bankruptcy be far away, the bankruptcy of Canadian agriculture?"
- In mid-June, Ontario Federation of Agriculture vice-president Bill Mailloux lamented that the federal government appears to be using income losses because of mad cow to promote provincial signing of the safety net deal. "We want a safety net program that will meet the needs of as many Ontario farmers as possible and we don't want to be blackmailed into accepting anything less."
- The same week, the Canadian Federation of Agriculture bought national advertising to warn that Ottawa's plan "is a recipe not for moving agriculture beyond crisis management but for making the crisis worse."
Perhaps it is, as Strathmore, Alta., grains and cow-calf operator Brent McBean said, a matter of timing. "Farmers are the eternal optimists and never more so than in the spring," he said.
Whatever the reason, there is a serious disconnect between the message being peddled by Ipsos-Reid and CEMA, and the warnings sent by farm leaders. Farmers will know on which side of the optimism line they stand. Barry Wilson is a member of the Parliamentary Press Gallery specializing in agriculture.
© copyright 2003 AgMedia Inc..
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Warm hydraulic fluid carefully -- but not too much -- expensive systems are at risk
High fluid temperatures are often the first indicator of hydraulic system problems. When they occur, the major system components can fail if corrective action is not taken immediatelyby RALPH WINFIELD
The frosty mornings last February reminded me about the need to warm hydraulic fluid. But fluid that is too hot is just as big a problem, so let's talk about hydraulic fluid temperature, why it is so important, and what you as an owner-operator can do about it.In the last 20 years we have moved from simple, open-centred hydraulic systems to very sophisticated load-sensitive, closed-centred systems. Some of these newer systems have pump pistons and control valves that are fitted to a very few microns of clearance.
Some of us from the old school measured engine bearing clearances, for example, as a few thousands of an inch. Now just try to visualize each one-thousandth of an inch being sliced into 25 pieces! Each slice would be one micron thick.
With machined component fits of three to five microns, you might be able to comprehend, but not actually see, the potential problems. When liquid droplets become smaller than 100 microns in diameter, we cannot see them. At 50 microns or less, we call them aerosols, the form in which water vapour is carried in air to give us humidity. The naked eye just cannot see spherical things that small.
In previous articles on hydraulics, I indicated that many hydraulic filters are rated by their ability to remove particles as small as five microns from the hydraulic fluid. Five micron particles can jam and or score pistons or valve spools.
Hydraulic fluid viscosity. For newer hydraulic systems, the viscosity of the fluid is very critical. The fluid must be thin enough when cold to pass between pump or motor pistons or valve spools and their respective bodies to provide the essential lubrication.
Conversely, the hydraulic fluid must be thick enough when hot to provide lubrication and not allow excessive bypass to the pump or motor case or to the low-pressure section of the valve body. If excess bypass occurs, the hydraulic functions will become slow and the fluid temperatures will continue to increase well above the desired working temperature.
High fluid temperatures are often the first indicator of hydraulic system problems. When they occur, the major system components can and will fail if corrective action is not taken immediately. The cost of this type of catastrophic failure will be in the thousands of dollars for sophisticated hydraulic systems.
The best advice is to buy a good quality hydraulic fluid that meets or exceeds the specifications of the hydraulic system manufacturer or the original equipment manufacturer user. Buy quality filters and change them regularly. And be especially vigilant in preventing contamination when making system repairs or when adding fluid.
Hydraulic Fluid Temperatures. Just as with engine oil, viscosity enhancers are being added to hydraulic fluids as well. However, there is still a desired working temperature range.
On cold startup, hydraulic fluid should be up to or brought up to 100°F as quickly as possible. The working range is normally between 140°F and 180°F.
Every major hydraulic system should have a temperature gauge or sensing unit that shows fluid operating temperature. A high temperature buzzer and/or flashing light is often part of newer electronic dash units.
For cold weather starts, the fluid can and should be warmed. In most cases, this will involve an electrical immersion heater located in the hydraulic tank or reservoir. This heater can be operated by a time clock set four to five hours prior to start time to save energy. Do keep in mind that this type of heater only warms the oil in the tank.
Some newer tractors with power-shift transmissions have fluid heaters installed in the bottom of the transmission case. These are excellent and should be used along with the engine block heaters in cold weather when the tractor is used to feed cattle or blow snow.
Now for a word of caution. If your hydraulic tank or transmission is not factory-equipped with an oil heater, DO NOT go out and buy a water-heating unit or an engine block heater and install it in oil or hydraulic fluid. I repeat do not do it! You must use an oil-heating element that has a much lower watt-density rating -- one that is larger per watt and operates with a lower surface temperature. Oil does not conduct heat or vaporize as readily as water and can be caramelized like maple taffy if exposed directly to a very hot surface. Are some of you old enough to remember when dipstick electric heaters were sold to preheat engine oil?
A slow warm-up process is needed with hydraulic fluid, even if it is pre-warmed in the tank. Do not put the machine or tractor to work immediately. Operate hydraulic components slowly at partial engine speed until the fluid temperature gauge rises.
Another note of interest. All machines (combines, sprayers, tractors, etc.) that have a hydrostatic drive system will have a relatively large hydrostatic fluid-cooling radiator in place. It is often, but not always, located in front of the engine radiator. Some, but not all, have a thermostatic bypass valve in place. This valve opens when the fluid temperature is below the set point (say 100°F) and allows fluid to bypass the cooler during start up.
This is a very desirable feature, but you should know if your cooling system has a bypass incorporated. Why? As with engine temperature control thermostats, these thermostatic bypass valves can and do fail.
If your hydraulic fluid temperature goes too high and the radiator is clear and the cooling fan operating, check the bypass valve.
Too high hydraulic fluid temperatures. For the life of the hydraulic system and the hydraulic fluid, an operating temperature that is too high is just as deadly as one that is too low.
If the temperature is too high, the fluid viscosity will drop down, causing excessive bypass flows in the system components and so compounding the heating problem. Excessive temperature also causes oxidation of the hydraulic fluid, shortening the working life of the fluid.
So it pays to take care of your hydraulic fluid. The best reference I have seen is an Esso lubrication guide to hydraulic fluids called "Pumping for Performance 2." A single copy should be available at the Esso distributor in your area, even if you are not presently a customer.
This booklet provides a wealth of information on how to take care of your hydraulic system and the hydraulic fluid you put into it. The key conclusion is, and I quote: "Don't let your system eat its heart out."BF
© copyright 2003 AgMedia Inc..
Agricultural engineer Ralph Winfield farms at Belmont in Elgin County
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Lower Ontario grape prices expected as production outstrips demand
As a result, growers are advised to emphasize quality and not to plant a variety without a contractby SUSAN MANN
Despite weather damage to Ontario's grape crop for the past two years, the pace of growth in production is expected to continue leaping ahead of demand from the wineries. And that will likely lead to lower grape prices.Quality will be more important than ever if growers expect to receive a high price for their grapes. In addition, growers shouldn't plant any variety without a contract, advises Wayne Lockey, the immediate past chair of the Grape Growers of Ontario.
Ray Duc agrees. The Niagara-on-the-Lake grower was acclaimed as chair of the Grape Growers at a meeting in April. Ensuring you have a contract before planting is very important now. There have been some growers who have been speculating but, says Duc, "I would suspect that they're going to have problems down the road. So don't plant unless you talk to your wineries about varieties."
From 1996 to 2001, there was a 36 per cent increase in the number of vines, according to the 2001 Grape Vine Census, the official survey done by the Ontario Ministry of Agriculture and Food every five years. The report includes all grapevines in the ground as of Sept. 1, 2001.
About 94.5 per cent are produced in the Niagara area, made up of the regional municipalities of Niagara and Hamilton-Wentworth. Not all the vines in the 2001 census were or are currently in production. From the time grape vines are planted, it takes them five years to reach full production.
The number of vines grew to a total of 14,883,494 in 2001 from 10,944,455 in 1996. The three most abundant varieties are Chardonnay (13 per cent of the crop), Concord (10 per cent) and Vidal 256 (nine per cent).
Of the total vines in Ontario, seven per cent were planted in 2001, 19 per cent were planted in 1999 or 2000, 33 per cent were planted between 1994 and 1998, 28 per cent between 1978 and 1993 and 13 per cent before 1978.
The largest increases in planting since 1996 are Cabernet Sauvignon (up 443 per cent), Sauvignon Blanc (up 302 per cent), and Merlot (up 278 per cent). The largest decreases in cultivars since 1996 have been Seyval Blanc (down 60 per cent), Geisemheim 318 (down 52 per cent), and Fredonia (down 48 per cent).
There's the threat of a grape surplus but likely not this year, says Duc, who grows 200 acres of grapes for wine and 30 acres of peaches. That's because this winter's cold temperatures caused substantial damage to the buds. This year's crop could have reached 55,000 tonnes but early estimates show that the cold weather reduced the crop to between 27,000 and 30,000 tonnes.
Duc says the damage varies depending on the variety, but it can range from 50 to 30 per cent of the buds being killed. "We can adjust somewhat by leaving extra buds, but when there's that much damage it usually affects the crop size." This was the worst winter in 10 years for cold temperatures killing buds, he notes.
Weather was also a factor in reducing last year's crop size, Lockey says. The wineries have the capacity to hold 40,000 tonnes of grapes and last year's crop was expected to reach 50,000 tonnes. The spring frosts and summer drought knocked the crop size back to about 40,000 tonnes, leaving only a small surplus of 500 tonnes. BF
© copyright 2003 AgMedia Inc..
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